The UK's King Charles has made clear his "profound concern" at allegations over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's conduct and will "stand ready to support" the police if approached over the claims, Buckingham Palace said.

Thames Valley Police has confirmed it is assessing suggestions that the king's brother shared confidential reports from his role as the UK's trade envoy with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The reignited crisis which has engulfed both the monarchy and Westminster has shown little sign of abating since the US authorities' recent dump of millions of documents associated with the paedophile financier Epstein.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "The King has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's conduct.

"While the specific claims in question are for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police we stand ready to support them as you would expect.

"As was previously stated, Their Majesties' thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse."

The palace has not so far been approached by Thames Valley Police over the claims which relate to the former prince's time as the UK's special representative for international trade and investment.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have meanwhile publicly addressed the Epstein scandal for the first time, with Kensington Palace saying they were "deeply concerned" at the "continued revelations" and that their thoughts "remain focused on the victims".

Prince William is en route to Saudi Arabia for the start of a three-day tour of the Middle Eastern country, spending his first day with the Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Much of the work of the British royal family in recent weeks has been overshadowed by the ongoing Epstein scandal, reignited when a huge tranche of millions of documents associated with Epstein were released by US authorities.

These sparked a string of allegations against former prince Andrew and have led to police launching a investigation into Peter Mandelson over alleged misconduct in public office.

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Among the claims are that a second woman was sent to the UK by paedophile Epstein for a sexual encounter with Mr Mountbatten-Windsor.

It comes as police are assessing claims that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential reports from his role as the UK's trade envoy with Jeffrey Epstein.

Emails released by the US Department of Justice earlier this month appear to show the former duke sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore.

Trade envoys are usually barred from sharing sensitive or commercial documents under confidentiality rules.

One email, dated November 2010, was forwarded by Mr Mountbatten-Windsor just five minutes after being sent by his then-special advisor, Amir Patel.

The former duke made the visits in his capacity as trade envoy in late 2010, conducting meetings and trade talks.

Additionally, on Christmas Eve 2010, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor looped Epstein in on a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Graham Smith, chief executive of anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, said he had reported the allegations to police.

In a post on X, he said: "I have now reported Andrew to the (Thames Valley Police) for suspected misconduct in public office and breach of official secrets in relation to these specific allegations.

"I cannot see any significant difference between these allegations and those against Peter Mandelson."

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has previously denied any wrongdoing over his Epstein links but has not directly responded to the latest allegations.

Thames Valley Police confirmed they were assessing the fresh allegations.

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: "We can confirm receipt of this report and are assessing the information in line with our established procedures."

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his titles by King Charles last year, has always denied any wrongdoing and last week he finally left Royal Lodge for the Sandringham estate.

He has faced years of scrutiny over his friendship with Epstein.

He has not responded to requests for comment since the latest release of Epstein files.

Over the last ten days, revelations from the Epstein files have engulfed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the biggest crisis of his premiership, after he ⁠appointed Mr Mandelson, as ambassador to the United States.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said King Charles has made clear his \u0027profound concern\u0027 over allegations in respect of former prince Andrew\u0027s conduct

\u003Cp\u003EPrince William and Kate have made their first comments on the revelations\u003C/p\u003E

\u003Cp\u003EAndrew Mountbatten\u002DWindsor has denied any wrongdoing (file photo)\u003C/p\u003E